Review: Consumed by JR Ward

Reviewed by Jen

I was not sure how I would feel about this new offering from JR Ward, after I was so decidedly underwhelmed by her Bourbon Kings series. But unlike that, I think this is designed to be a romance rather than women’s fiction. Overall, I liked it. Ward has a unique writing style that reminded me of her Black Dagger Brotherhood of books, even though the content was very different.

This is a contemporary romance among fire fighters, so it is very high octane. (No pun intended.) It came out of the gate, swinging, with the hero and heroine responding to a fire call. Ann and Danny serve on the same crew and as the story begins, are on the heels of their first tumble into bed. They are crazy about each other, but any relationship between them is sure to be filled with land mines. We don’t really have enough time to explore what may be between them before tragedy strikes. The fire nearly takes Ann’s life, and the only way Danny can save her is to cut off her hand.

Kind of tough to get over.

None of that stuff was in the blurb. This book was sold as an arson investigator working a case that puts her back into the orbit of the man she has a history with. I never expected to see that history on the page first. And I was glad I did, because it was powerful and invested me thoroughly in their journey.

Indeed, Ann does go on to become an investigator and we follow her as she digs to determine who is behind a string of warehouse fires. It gives the story a mystery, as well as the threat of danger when the bad guy targets Ann. Danny, meantime, is reeling from having Ann back and his life. He’s also got some emotional hurdles to get over from the things he’s seen and endured on the job. There is plenty of angst and drama as these two circle each other and work through their old feelings. I really enjoyed all of that.

What I enjoyed a little less was the time spent in Ann’s brother Tom‘s point of view. He is the fire chief and interacts with both the hero and heroine. There’s also a minor thread about the mayor trying to get his support and I guess that is fodder for a future book. I didn’t really care.

What I cared for least of all was Ann’s unnecessary, unkind treatment of her mother. She is a great character in every other way, but I swear, every time she talked to or about her mom, I was ready to push her off a cliff. And when the reasoning for it all was finally revealed, it was so incredibly weak that it almost ruined the character for me. I understand that no one wants a Merry Sue, but in her treatment of her mother, Ann was a hateful witch and deserved a kick in the ‘nads.

Those small gripes aside, it was a good book. I will continue with the series and I am curious who will be featured next. Aaron’s brother maybe? I am more excited about the possibilities of Dani’s old roommates. I’ll keep you posted.